Power Up!

Our electrical energy is generated in a variety of ways. What they all have in common (except solar panels) is a mechanical-to-electrical generator. You can watch a short video on this process by dragging the file C1_SHR_Electricity.mov from my Teacher folder. Or you can try this embedded video:


In modern society, a variety of electrical generators all contribute electrical energy to a power grid that takes the energy through power lines to homes and businesses. The online simulation Power Up! gives you a chance to make choices about the kind of energy sources that will power the grid of a city. As you play the game, think about the choices you made and whether they contributed to a successful power grid.

Read through the slides of this Google Presentation.


When you are done, try this QuiaQuiz to see if you learned the lessons of the Power Up! simulation.

Finally, visit several of these pages and leave comments on the discussion board about the questions you find there! Some answers require nothing more than careful thought on your part, while other questions cannot be answered without doing some research!

• Coal
• Oil
• Natural Gas
• Trash
• Geothermal
• Hydroelectric
• Nuclear
• Wind
• Solar